My long weekend started much earlier than everyone else’s 🙂  That’s because on Friday, the 7th of August 2009 I was on leave and at the wedding of Val and Tim.  One of the sweetest couples I know … I even dare say, they are the sweetest couple I know 🙂

So that’s where my nice long National Day weekend started, with a lovely church wedding at The Church of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  It’s been quite a long while since the last time I was at the church and I had some vague idea where it was but the vague idea was exactly just that, VAGUE :p so my husband and I took longer than the 20minutes it would have normally taken from our place to the Hougang area.  Thankfully, we left the house early and got to church a good 10minutes before 10am 🙂  It was of course, already bustling with activities.

Here’s Shell, part of the welcome party who advised us to take the fans.  Good advice, Shell!!  Thanks coz Nativity is probably one of the last few churches in Singapore that doesn’t have air conditioning :p  In this day and age, that seems somewhat sacrilegious in Singapore :p  So we were hanging out with one of my dearest friends in the world and the big sister of the Choo girls, Cherry before having to go into the the church.

Soon the baby Choo girl, Fifi joined us and promptly hurried me and my husband into church 🙂  I can’t believe this little girl is all grown up.  She also sang beautifully at the wedding.  In my mind I still see this little girl running around as we hung out by the barbecue pit of their home 🙂  Time sure flies, so with that, we found our seats where I was trying to get a picture of Tim.  I’ve always like looking at the grooms before their brides arrive, they are a sweet combination of nerves and excitement and the next time you’re at a wedding notice how calm they become when their brides start walking down the aisle 🙂 *heart melting*

Sure enough, Tim didn’t disappoint 😉  He looked all the part, with all nerves and excitement but as soon as the bells started gonging with his bride at the door he had a nice smile, which I didn’t get on camera because everyone was standing and Tim went in at out of frame :p

What’s there not to smile about when your bride is this beautiful 🙂  I also like how Dads get all excited walking their little girls down the aisle.  Uncle Burt was especially funny, talking to all the guests and had to be hurried out by his #2 girl, Nat who reminded him that #3 has arrived 🙂

At my wedding, everyone told me how the children were doing their own thing while the ceremony was taking place and part of me always regretted that I never got to enjoy that bit.  So I was enjoying Renn, Kaitlyn and Aira dancing in the background as Val and Tim promised to love and take care of each other for the rest of their lives 🙂

The other thing I love about weddings is the six degrees of separation you realise you share.  So there I was at the wedding when I find out that my other dear friends knew the groom!!

It’s Nisa and Nige!!!  They are yet another sweet couple and I can’t wait for their wedding 🙂  Nige plays football with Tim.  Who needs Facebook when you have weddings?  So while everyone was waiting their turns to take pictures with the bride and groom.  Nis and I caught up.

While everyone was enjoying ice cream outside and getting ready for lunch, here’s a pic with the happy couple.

And here’s my favourite picture of the bride and the flower girl, Saffie who had just returned to Singapore from London.

Don’t they look absolutely thrilled 🙂  After lunch and the tea ceremony, it was home again before the dinner.  I forgot how exhausting weddings can be.  My husband and I got home, had a quick shower and laid down for a nap … before I knew it, the clock was 5:30pm and we had an hour to get ready for dinner :p

The drunken revelry was at the Regent, where I have to say their vegetarian menu was very good.  It usually doesn’t happen very often, yes, most Chinese weddings I’ve gone to actually served quite sad vegetarian alternatives.  Mostly deep fried and strangely very little vegetables, I so don’t get that but at the Regent, my husband and I were happily satiated.

Again it was the children that made the night, what would life be without them 🙂

The bride had these little masks hand made to keep the kids entertained and it worked, they loved it.  Running around pretending to be foxes, cats, bunnies, chickens.  It was adorable 🙂  Here’s my favourite picture with Renn in his mask.

And here’s one of Saffie looking, oh so very English 🙂  As the night started to wind down, we got a couple more pictures in and here’s one of me and the three women who are like the big sisters to me 🙂

Gerrie, Cherry and Claire.  Each of them inspires me about different things and help me keep it all real.  Thank you guys for always being there 🙂  With that, 7th August 2009 came to a sweet end.  Best thing about it was that it’s just the beginning of the long weekend 😉